We may have recently elected our first African-American president, but we likely are far from electing someone outside the Christian faith to the Oval Office.  Legally, no religious litmus test qualifies the President of the United States. But in the minds of many, a man’s religion is an important factor in whether or not he wins the American public’s approval.

Few will forget the saga of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the fallout that ensued after several tapes of him demonizing American society from the pulpit went public. Many of Wright’s quotes are so offensive they hardly need repeating. But this was the man who married Barack Obama and baptized his two daughters. Surely, Obama was aware of Wright’s more extreme views, especially after attending Trinity United Church of Christ for nearly 20 years?

Voters were left with two possible conclusions about Obama after viewing the tapes of his firebrand preacher: either he sides with these views, which many deem as racist, hateful and extremely offensive or, perhaps equally as heinous, he doesn’t attend this particular church as regularly as he claims.

As is ultimately revealed in Game Change, the latter was true.

Why would Obama misrepresent his religiosity? The same reason Bush wore his religiosity on his sleeve, Reagan used religious themes where appropriate and the Democrats have steadily been dialing up the religious rhetoric since their defeat in 2004; the same reason nearly every politician flaunts his religiosity regardless of how religious he or she may be: the American public holds those who subscribe to the Judeo-Christian belief in higher esteem than others.

Obama’s predecessor never had any of these problems. Although Bush may have been viewed by many as one of the most avowedly Christian presidents in recent memory, he actually rarely attended church, according to Amy Sullivan of The New Republic.

Incidentally, Ronald Reagan, another man long admired by conservatives, never attended church during his presidency – ever. As a November 2008 article in Time reveals, “Reagan didn’t go to church at all, citing the hassle of making a church set up security screening for parishioners.”  This never seemed to be a concern for Reagan’s predecessor, Jimmy Carter, who actually taught Bible class during his presidency.

As far as church attendance goes, the man with the greatest record is one whom many conservative Christians view with extreme loathing: Bill Clinton. While is it understandable why Clinton, with his many scandals public and private, would raise eyebrows among many Evangelical voters, he has maintained a consistent record of attending church before, during and after his presidency, according to Beliefnet.

Evidently, politicians on both sides of the aisle are guilty of branding themselves as more religious than they may actually be. A man’s religiosity can be exaggerated in order to win over voters. He may even broadcast his membership to a particular church, even though he may have little to do with that church on a regular basis, as was the case with President Obama.

While this litmus test toward a candidate’s religious affiliation exists entirely in the minds of voters, it does appear that a “religious test” contributes to a candidate’s ability to gain office. A candidate who runs for the highest office in the land can expect to have his church attendance questioned and his choice of religious affiliation put under scrutiny. But as we have seen with many politicians who have resided in the Oval Office, appearances can be deceiving.